Acceptance
by DangerousNightmare
Summary: They both return to Hogwarts to deal with the memories of war, each of them grasping for something to keep them grounded while the world seems to crumble under their feet. Neither of them expected to find solid ground with each other. HG/SS AU where Severus lives and Hermione returns to school to complete her seventh year. M for content.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! Before you read I would just like for you to all know that this is not my story! A user under the name 1les93 was looking for authors to write out their stories, and I offered to do so. Everything you read is based off of 1les93's own original ideas, the only thing I'm doing is making it come to life. So if you want to compliment anyone on the plot line got to 1les93. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do, please feed my writing addiction by leaving a review.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or this story. I just type stuff out.**

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It took less than a year to rebuild Hogwarts after the battle that nearly crumbled it all the way down to its very foundation, and if the events of that battle weren't completely scarred into his brain, Severus Snape would have had a hard time believing that it happened in the first place. The legendary castle looked exactly the way it had before the battle, and it seemed to stand taller and prouder than ever. It was his idea to come back to teach at the school- living in a world where Voldemort didn't exist and where he didn't have to play spy anymore was harder than he thought it would be. The nightmares, paranoia, and the memories were suffocating him, and he didn't know if it was possible to make it go away. Severus rubbed at the raised scars around his neck where Nagini struck him, it was a constant reminder that everything that happened to him was real, and he wasn't allowed to forget it.

Being out in public made things worse, as the world found out as his position as spy for the Order of the Phoenix they dubbed him a hero. Thankfully most of the attention remained fixed on the golden trio and the brave kids that made up Dumbledore's army, but people still approached him on the street and bombarded him with questions. They asked how he managed to keep his secrets from Voldemort for as long as he did, or why he reportedly treated Harry Potter poorly when he loved his mother, Lily Potter. They asked him what Voldemort made him do. It was too much.

Now looking up at the castle without a single witch, wizard, or news reporter in sight, Severus felt at peace. As he approached the castle, it's doors opened wide as if to welcome him, and he was greeted by the smiling face of headmaster McGonagall. She had her hands clasped together in front of her and her eyes shimmered with emotion, the last time Severus saw the woman he told her that he would never come back, and as he approached her he felt guilt bite at him

"Welcome back Severus." She said calmly, Severus nodded in response, unsure of what to say.

As she guided him through the halls of the castle she pointed out subtle differences made in the castle. The great hall was exactly the same except for the golden owl podium that headmaster Dumbledore used to speak from. That was now in the shape of a phoenix. The dungeons were completely changed, wide windows filtered in massive amounts of light, and the view of the black lake was extraordinary.

"I have to thank you for coming back Severus, many parents feel more comfortable with a hero amongst the staff. Also I was starting to think that we wouldn't have a potions professor to teach the students next month, so you saved me from worrying about that." She commented, her eyebrow quirked playfully at him when he rolled his eyes.

"Hero doesn't seem like the proper term." Severus grumbled. To him titles like spy and murderer seemed more suiting than "hero".

"Harry thinks that you're a hero."

"Mr. Potter is too young to see that he is greatly mistaken, he will see that when the world around him quiets down enough for him to think straight." Minerva fell quiet at that and pressed her lips in a thin line of disapproval, she halted in the middle of a corridor and tapped her fingers against a cherry wood door, a golden plaque above it read "Professor Snape".

"Your classroom hasn't changed much, we managed to salvage most of it and we added a few upgrades. The living quarters are still located in the downstairs portion of the classroom, we even added that private library you wanted." She paused and placed her hands on her hips, she squinted her eyes at the dark cherry wood door in front of her as if silently assessing her work. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Minerva." The old witch nodded her head in acknowledgment and turned to leave. Severus sucked in a breath and pushed the door to his potions classroom open.

Familiar air hugged around Severus as he ventured into the room- everything from the way the desks were set up, to the stubborn layer of dust that coated every surface in the room, was exactly how he left it. Extra area for labs was added off to the far right of the room, and all the materials looked as if they had just been purchased hours ago. The room reacted to his mood and the candles on the walls grew dim with small green flames. A large chalkboard was situated at the front of the room and a walnut desk with a large leather chair was positioned next to it, Severus suspected that he would be grading a lot of potions material at that desk. The thought of being a hero to young students crossed his mind as he looked around the shinning new-old classroom, and the only thing he could think of was how much more effort he would have to put into making them scared of him. A grin found its way to his face, hero or not, he still had a scary teacher reputation to uphold. After one last glance around the room Severus retreated to the far back of the room and jogged down the staircase leading to his living quarters. He felt a slight brush of magic as he passed through wards designed to prevent curious students from entering without his permission.

His room included a small guest area, furnished with a couple of plush gray chairs, a small table, and a fireplace. Just beyond the guest area a small room was set up as a personal lab, though unlike the cabinets in the classroom, these were empty. The lab in his room was specifically meant for him to brew potions that were either dangerous, or required lethal ingredients. Severus preferred to supply said lethal ingredients himself for obvious reasons. A door at the rear end of the lab led to a spacious and empty library, one chair and a desk was seated in the middle of the room, they were cozily surrounded by the empty shelves and Severus imagined he would be spending quite a bit of time filling them. Finally he found his bedroom which was just off of the right side of his personal lab, it was rather plain with just a bed, side table, dresser, and closet, his bathroom was located at the far end of the room.

Severus felt the paranoia melt away as he thought ahead to the month of solitude he would be able to experience, and for the first time since Voldemort's death, he felt the freedom he had been chasing for what felt like a lifetime.

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 **Severus is back in Hogwarts! Hermione will be making her appearance in the next chapter and to be clear, this story will not be a slow burn. Did you like this chapter? Leave a review and let me know why or why not. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello readers! Thank you to everyone that took the time to follow, favor, and/or review this story, your support ensures that the story continues. Special thanks to 1les93 who has allowed me to write out their story, and if you like the content that is in this story please check out 1les93's sevmione community for more. Also Happy mother's day to all the moms reading today!**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or this story.**

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A few years ago Hermione would have burst in tears of joy upon entering the head girl's room, but as she looked around the wide and empty space she felt a disappointing lack of emotion. It looked like any other room, just a bed with Gryffindor colored sheets and a couple of dressers to put her clothes in. Suddenly she remembered sharing this same sized room with three other girls, all of them fighting for space and a chance to utilize the bathroom in the morning before class. Hermione missed those girls, even Lavender Brown, who died protecting the very school Hermione was standing in.

Returning to Hogwarts was much more difficult than Hermione imagined it would be, even getting on the train caused her to get emotional. Even though Harry and Ron decided to forgo another year at Hogwarts, Hermione found herself sitting in their same cabin, fully expecting the boys to stumble in with a summers worth of obnoxious stories. Luna, Ginny, and Neville came to visit her though and as they sat together they went over a very small list of the students that would return that year. Hardly any students that she knew personally would be attending her class, which was probably why headmaster McGonagall was so eager to appoint her head girl and Neville head boy. All of the students that actually attended the school while it was overrun by death eaters were forced to redo that year, and although it seemed unfair to many students, it made sure that there would be a reasonable amount of first years attending the school.

Once off of the train she instructed prefects to direct their classmates to their carriages, and helped Hagrid board all of the first years on their boats. Once inside the school many of the students stared at Hermione, and a lot more eyed Severus Snape, who sat at the faculty table at the front of the great hall. Hermione felt something move inside of her as she looked at her old potions teacher, did he remember that she was the one that saved him after Nagini attacked him? Did he remember how she and Harry held his crumpled form until they were sure he would survive? Did he want to remember?

Suddenly his eyes flicked up and caught hers in a stare, the confusion in his eyes told her that he wasn't expecting her, and after a moment he looked away and glared hard at the empty plate in front of him. Hermione sat down at that moment and waited patiently as the evening commenced, she cheered as the young first years got sorted into their houses, and listened attentively as headmaster McGonagall recited her first speech, but her eyes constantly wandered to the raven haired potions master that sat quietly at his table. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to apologize for all of the years that they blamed him for the terrors that went on in the school, wanted to ask so many questions that he would probably never answer.

After the beginning of the year festivities ended she led herself to her room, and there she sat, and she looked around realizing exactly what she lost when that battle happened. She lost her boys, the ones who supported her every year, she lost her own parents, who she obliviated to the point of no return, and she lost all hope that her life would ever go back to normal. This empty room made her feel miserable, she wished that she would wake up the next day and have all of her roommates with her, and she oddly wished that they would all fight over the bathroom in the morning.

She didn't need to come back to Hogwarts, the world was prepared to have her working in it and she received many offers from the Ministry of Magic. So to be honest the only reason why she came back was to escape the public eye, who made her personal life as public as humanly possible. They spread rumors about her "love life" with Ron, which was actually non-existent, the two spent a week with each other after the battle before they decided that they weren't exactly the best match, they also made it known to the entire wizarding world that she obliviated her own parents. Ron practically lived for all the attention he received from fans and the media, and Hermione couldn't live around it. Harry was slightly more humble about his fame and spent much more time mourning over the ones he lost, and he bought a house for himself and his godson Teddy with the money the Ministry gifted to him. He also took up a job as an Auror, and was excelling in the field.

As for the money Hermione inherited, she gave half of it away to an orphanage and stored the rest away in her bank. With a sigh Hermione whisked out her wand from her sleeve and gave it an experimental wave before murmuring "Accio schedule", the paper shot out of her open trunk and landed in her hands. She skimmed the paper and frowned as she noticed how small the class sizes were, beside every class on her list there was the number of students attending next to it. Her smallest class was N.E.W.T level potions, and only one student would be attending that class. Hermione sucked in an uneven breath, she would be attending that class alone. It would just be her and professor Snape.

This was bound to end terribly.

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 **What do you all think of the story so far? Let me know with a review! Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! I am sorry about the late update, I had a tiny case of writers block and I went insane for a little bit, but 1les93 helped me out with that. Speaking of which 1les93 is on vacation, so while they are out you may come to me with any questions via PM. I promise updates will be more frequent, as a recent graduate I have nothing but my stories to work on. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do, please do me the great honor of leaving this story a review.**

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Hogwarts always came to life with the chatter of excited students at the beginning of the year, even the castle itself seemed to glow as the young ones filled its hallways with wonder in their voices. Severus drew in a staggered breath as he seated himself at the front of the great hall, as he did so the students, who were currently seated in preparation for the traditional feast, fell silent. They all stared at him and most of them stared at him with respect, others with fear. He was relieved to see his house beaming up at him in pride, the tether between the head of house and its associated students seemed to remain strong, even after war and scandal. After a while conversation resumed throughout the hall.

Amongst the Slytherin house a platinum blonde boy hurtled a glance in his direction, his face twisted in distaste and a sort of despair only Severus could know. Draco Malfoy had returned to Hogwarts, no doubt by the quiet force of his mother, and by the look on his face Severus could tell that he was haunted by the happenings of the war. Severus nodded once at Draco, which he slowly returned.

Professor Sprout took her seat next to Severus and started idle conversation with him about her summer, he opted to ignore her as he scanned the room of students. Luna Lovegood bothered to show this year, and for the first time students in her house seemed to actually respect her. The young witch ran her blonde hair through her fingers as her house hounded her with questions, they must have asked her about the patronus charm, because with a lazy wave of her wand a ghostly hare sprung forth and hopped over the crowed of awestruck Ravenclaws. Severus wondered how the girl could summon such a thing when her father, the last member of her family, was killed by death eaters. Her becoming an orphan was a likely reason as to why she was back at the school because she probably had no where to stay.

Right before the festivities began one more students shoved there way into the great hall with a flock of confused looking students behind her. Severus felt his eye twitch as the girl made her way to her table and the blood from his face drained as he first recognized the wild curly hair, and then the serious honey colored eyes, which flicked up to meet his.

Hermione Granger, princess of Gryffindor, was back at school.

 _Why are you here?_

The question burned in his throat as he stared at the girl, the ministry practically threw themselves at her, and the Weasley family always offered her a home, so there was absolutely no logical reason as to why she appeared. Perhaps her intentions were to ask him for something in return for saving his life, but he didn't have anything, so if that was her purpose she was surely misguided. Severus looked away from the girl and stared down at the plate in front of him, wishing that either the girl could disappear or if the glass next to him would fill with something that would make him forget the night Hermione Granger saved his life. This feeling of being in debt to her made him boil with anger, and he kept himself from losing it in front of the entire school. He went through the entire night with his face directed at his plate, and was thankful when it finally ended.

That night as he retired to his quarters, he was eager to utilize the dreamless sleep potion he stocked up on, and he hoped that he would never have to face the girl who haunted his thoughts ever again.

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The first day of classes went by smoothly, after years of being bitter to students he found it almost impossible to care enough to put on a tough face when one of them acted like an idiot. Of course, he would still deal out detentions and maintain his brutal honesty, but screaming at student until they were drowning in their own tears was no longer something that he was capable of.  
First year potions classes were jam packed with students of various ages, some of the ones that attended while he was headmaster glared at him the entire time, and reminded him of the torture they went through for an entire year. He couldn't blame them, he went under the same torture and it would take more than a year to fully recover. Second through fifth year classes were more evenly distributed, and sixth through seventh year classes were literal ghost towns. Miss Lovegood put on a remarkable performance by taking notes and turning them into flying paper birds the entire class period, and the other three students in the classroom looked on in confusion as the birds made the potion for her. Draco huddled in a corner of the classroom and put his head on the table, Severus chose not to bother him and focused on his students, who looked at him like he was Merlin himself.

With a sigh Severus prepared for his last class of the day and prepared a lesson plan for the next day's classes. In bold letters he jotted down "No paper birds" on a piece of parchment paper, the chalkboard next to him thrummed to life and chalked down the words for him in his own handwriting. He gave the display a satisfied nod and rummaged around his desk for his N.E.W.T. level potions syllabus and made a few copies, he didn't know exactly how many students enrolled in his class, it was always a surprise each year, but this year he had low expectations.

The door to his class opened slowly, and for the second time that year Severus met the honey eyes of Hermione Granger. She shuffled awkwardly in the room and hugged her textbooks close to her chest, Severus silently observed her and noticed that she looked far too old to be wearing the Hogwarts uniform. _Not old, mature._

"Hi professor." Her voice was quiet yet strong at the same time, Her face was serious and effortlessly soft, and those eyes, glossy with honey glow, were calmly displaying years of torture. She looked like she was trying to live when her body was slowly decaying against her will. Suddenly it looked like Miss Granger might have actually had a reason to come back to Hogwarts, and it had nothing to do with him.

"Hello Miss Granger."

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 **They meet! Thank you to everyone who has viewed, reviewed, favored, and followed this story!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello readers! It's been a while, sorry for the late update, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or this story.**

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"Hello Miss Granger." The words sounded foreign as well as wildly inappropriate coming from his mouth, her old professor quirked his elegant eyebrow at her and the corner of his mouth twitched. Hermione felt ridiculous wearing her Hogwarts uniform, the skirt and stockings didn't really suit her anymore but the robes and blouse did a good job of hiding the scars that the war sliced onto her body. The professor himself wasn't exactly pleased to see her, that part was apparent, though she couldn't dwindle on his distaste for her, it was but a fragment of what she received from the public on a daily basis. Hermione returned his cold welcome with a nod and cringed as her shoes echoed loudly when she walked over to her old seat, her books sounding like a bomb when she placed them down on the table.

She gazed around around at the new room and silently appreciated the old and new qualities it had. She withheld a laugh as she noticed the thin layer of dust that covered everything and the dim room that was lit only by the green flickers of light that professor Snape preferred.

"You will be the only student attending my class this year, though I don't suspect you will need to take the course. You have clearly displayed advanced skills in the crafting of potions." Professor Snape commented slowly, he stepped to the front of the classroom and sat down in his desk, cold black eyes stared into hers, and her chest fluttered when she spied the swirling scar of Nagini's bite on his neck.

"I need to take this course for the N.E.W.T. exam professor." Hermione explained, as soon as she did her professor's face turned red and his faced turned into a scowl.

"You have the ability to skip the class and take the exam Miss Granger, you'll have to use a better excuse for that." the professor growled, it was Hermione's turn to scowl, she forgot his habit of challenging her.

"I intend on becoming a master in the field professor, and in order to do so I need an advanced level of experience from a potions master." Hermione fiddled with the pages of her advanced potions book and pretended to ignore her professor's frustration.

"I see, and the Ministry couldn't provide you with an acceptable potion's master to study under?" He asked, Hermione let her book flutter shut and shrugged her shoulders.

"None with experience as exceptional as yours."

"You can ditch the brown nosing Miss Granger." The professor rolled his eyes and slid his wand from the sleeves of his robes, he pointed his wand at Hermione, she shuffled awkwardly in her seat until he muttered. "Accio potions textbook."

Her textbook lifted off of the desk and landed neatly in front of him, he let out a sigh as he ruffled through the pages, Hermione watched in discomfort as he read the pages she tagged with colored flags. "If you are to become a potions master under me, you will learn under my instruction alone." He waved his wand and the textbook burst into flames, Hermione flinched and narrowed her eyes at the professor.

"I did not ask you to trash my textbook professor." She growled.

"I didn't know I needed permission from a mere student." He bit back.

"So you'll teach me?" She tried to avoid sounding desperate in the fear that any hint of hope in her voice might turn him away.

"It doesn't appear that I had much of a choice in the first place, but yes I will teach you Miss Granger." he muttered. "If becoming a potions master is a priority of yours, I see no need for you to bother with any of the other courses you have bothered to sign up for." He indicated the rest of the books she placed on the desk, transfiguration being one of them.

"I enjoy studying the subjects that I have chosen for the year, I have two hours free for the day, I figured that I could dedicate those hours to study potions."

"So you just have it all figured out." He sighed and scratched absentmindedly at his neck, though it wasn't her intention, she seemed to be stressing out her professor, and it was only the first day.

"I don't have to be in your class everyday." Hermione started, professor Snape narrowed his eyes at that and frowned. "Potion making is more than brewing potions, it's about studying the effects of different ingredients, and being knowledgeable about the history of potions…"

For the first time since she walked in Hermione actually took a good look at her professor, even though he was still grumpy, he was no longer… rigid. Retiring from his life as a very convincing spy seemed to be good for him, a lot of restraints most have come from his previous lifestyle and now he was free. Hermione felt guilt build up at her as she thought of he she must have disrupted his peace.

"If you are willing to do as I say we should have no problems working together on a daily basis, but I know you Miss Granger, and you have the ability to make me lose patience at the mere sight of you." He started, his lips curling into a smirk as she huffed at his remark. "So I must inform you that this will not be an easy year for you; there will be days where I will offend you horribly and insult your intelligence, and you will probably loath the sound of my voice at one point." He studied her face and fiddled with his wand with careful hands.

"That will not be an issue for me professor Snape, I've taken six years of your instruction and haven't given up yet." Hermione stated proudly, professor Snape didn't seem too amused by this but nodded. They sat in awkward silence until she finally broke the silence. "So what will we study first professor?"

"We will start with the dreamless sleep potion Miss Granger." Hermione felt her blood run cold at the mention of the potion, she ducked her head slightly and cursed under her breath. "Users of the potion have very distinct appearances, and I'm shocked to see that you thought that I wouldn't notice."

"I didn't think that you would care enough to point it out." Hermione huffed.

"Don't mistake my expertise for concern." He snapped, Hermione glared down at her textbooks and avoided his gaze. "We will start with that potion, and while we brew it you will stop using it as a secondhand way to escape your past."

Hermione felt her blood boil and she jumped from her seat. "That is none of your business professor and I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my personal life." She avoided yelling at him, and dug her nails into the flesh of her palm.

"Aggression is a side effect of using dreamless sleep if I remember right." He commented cockily.

"You insufferable man." She growled.

"That's funny coming from the insufferable know it all." With that Hermione felt her eye twitch and she gathered her books in her arms.

"It appears our hour is up professor, I'll see you tomorrow." She muttered, and as she turned to leave the professor cleared his throat. She turned and rolled her eyes at his amused stare. "Yes professor?"

"Since your studying under me because I am a potions master, it would only be appropriate if you called me as such."

"Okay master." She stomped out of the room and could have sworn she heard his grumbling laughter as she walked away.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Hello readers! I apologize for the late update and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or this story.**

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Perhaps Severus was a vile man for being so antagonistic towards Granger, and he was especially hypocritical when it came to her use of the dreamless sleep potion, because he utilized it frequently. There was something about the girl that caused him to be so utterly out of line, he wouldn't dare say anything so inappropriate towards another student. Maybe it was the way she spoke, her word usage and tone reflected that of someone of a much older age, or perhaps it was the way she held herself- one could mistaken her for a full grown woman. He'd tried to contain himself during their conversation, but he constantly crossed the boundary between acting like a professor and acting like an equal, and almost started to flirt to an extent. It was far from intentional, but no normal man would require his student to refer to him as "master" in this day age, and yet he told a young woman to call him so. He was absolutely ridiculous, but then again, so was she.

Short skirts and knee high socks were no longer acceptable for a woman of her age, she had to be aware of this. It was utterly inappropriate and she couldn't blame him for being unable to take her seriously and it's not like she had to wear the uniform, she was one of the golden trio; no one would give a damn about what she wore, she had a permanent free pass for the rest of her life. So in a way she was toying with him too and he wanted to know why.

"Good afternoon master." Severus jumped from his desk at the words and glared at Granger, who was standing innocently in the classroom, her books clutched to her chest. Severus caught a glimpse of the milky skin of her thigh peeking from under her skirt and then mentally smacked himself for looking in the first place.

"Get started on the potion Miss Granger." Severus waved at the girl dismissively and sat back down at his desk, he cursed silently when he realized that he had nothing to do at the moment and would spend the entirety of the class period watching her as she worked.

"That's it? I was under the impression that an apprenticeship meant that I worked with my master." She emphasized the word "master" and marched over to the cauldrons, selected a small golden one, cast an augamenti spell, and placed it over fire. "Hence the common phrase 'work under a master'"

"I didn't think that you so desperately needed my assistance Miss Granger, unless you have relinquished your status as the brightest witch of your age."

"As a matter of fact I have." She barely glimpsed at him as she aggressively started to chop up ingredients.

"I'm not sure you have a say in the matter, unless you have effectively dumbed yourself down, and if that's the case you hardly belong in this classroom."

"It's not a matter of skill, it's a matter of term. I have decided that I prefer to be referred to as the most insufferable know it all of my age. It seems to suit me better." She smirked as she poured diced ingredients into the cauldron.

"yes that certainly does sound more realistic as I am sure there are witches brighter than you-"

"But not nearly as insufferable."

"Exactly."

After that they fell silent, Severus failed to come up with a snarky remark to her flawless work and was forced to look on silently.

"In all seriousness I am trying to wean myself off of this potion." Her voice cut through the silence of the room and the comment made Severus feel a slight bit of guilt.

"Good, consuming too much is detrimental to your health."

"I know, but so is going days without sleep. The other students can hear my screams even from the head girl room, I can't help myself, and I don't realize that I'd been screaming until I wake up. I know that I need to put up a silencing charm before I sleep, but I usually forget." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes focused down on the boiling potion in shame.

"Have you considered changing rooms?" It was a fair question, the Gryffindor head girl room was close to the regular student dorms and the one furthest from the other students resided down in the dungeons.

"No, I didn't think that changing rooms was an option." She glanced up at him for a second with hopefully eyes, then returned her focus towards the potion, eyes narrowed slightly in determination. She did look rather exhausted, guilt picked at him as he though about how he mocked her about her condition.

"Anything is an option for the head girl; I will explain the situation to Minerva and you can move your stuff down to the slytherin head girl room. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you professor." She slipped and called him professor instead of master, perhaps the title was reserved for when she was pissed off at him- which was fair enough. After seven years the woman finally found her own way of calling him an insufferable know it all. Severus smirked.

"Okay, that's all I can do to the potion today. Tomorrow I have to come in late and will probably have to work until around midnight, is that okay?" Hermione waved her wand and muttered a spell that cleaned up her area, then went to collect her books.

"You may stay as long as you need to and you will find that it's easier to access the classroom when you are living on the same floor. Have a nice night Miss Granger."

"Thank you." She offered him a shy smile and swept out of the room; when her footsteps faded Severus strolled over to the cauldron and examined its contents, the liquid was a glowing blue and it was completely clear of any bits of chopped ingredients. It was perfect, Severus himself had to admit that the woman had skills, and thought that perhaps he would enjoy brewing beside her one day. He huffed at the thought and swept back to his desk, his curly haired student permanently pressed in his mind.

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